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Sandburg Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

858^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Sandburg Elementary is a PK–5 school in Madison, Wisconsin, serving 410 students as part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, making it one of the larger elementary schools among its nearby comparison group. In 2025–26 the school ranked 858 of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools (17th percentile, 1 star), a modest improvement from 954th in 2023–24, but still within the bottom fifth of the state. The district itself ranks 321 of 432 statewide.

Test scores are the clearest area of concern. In 2025–26, proficiency trailed both the district and the state in every tested subject and grade. Math was especially low: 4th grade at 22.41% and 5th grade at 22.22%, versus district rates around 43%–47% and state rates around 52%–55%. Science came in at 32.76% and 4th grade social studies at 46.55%, both well below district and state averages. English language arts was comparatively stronger (about 36%–39% across grades) but still below both benchmarks. Compared with nearby schools, Lowell Elementary (67th percentile, 3 stars), Gompers Elementary, Emerson Elementary, and Sun Prairie's Creekside Elementary and Meadow View Elementary generally outperform Sandburg, while its results are closer to Kennedy Elementary, Schenk Elementary, Lake View Elementary, Hawthorne Elementary, and Mendota Elementary.

There are encouraging signs. Chronic absenteeism improved from 36.6% in 2021–22 to 22.9% in 2024–25 — better than the district's 29.6% and most nearby MMSD schools, though still above Wisconsin's 17.3%. The free/reduced lunch rate fell from 64.29% to 57.32%. Per-student spending is high at $25,290, second only to Schenk locally and far above Creekside and Meadow View in the Sun Prairie Area School District (roughly $16,000–$17,000). The student-teacher ratio is 10.2. Effectiveness rankings vary widely by student group, with low-income students at the 15th percentile and special education students at the 20th percentile, while some other groups show much stronger results — a reminder to ask school staff how specific supports are working.

410

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$25,290

Per pupil spending ?

57.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

79%

Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements (2025-26)

4114 Donald Dr
Madison, WI 53704-2899

(608) 204-7940

District: Madison Metropolitan School District

Students who attend Sandburg Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sherman Middle
High:	East High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

48.5%

White:

18.5%

African American:

14.4%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Sandburg Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 10th percentile in 2016 → 17th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (34% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 25 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school34%

District avg49%

Wisconsin avg55%

858^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 10% (2016) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 29Elementary Schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District

321^st of 432Madison Metropolitan School District among Wisconsin districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	20.7	858 of 1039	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.7	902 of 1044	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	954 of 1061	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	903 of 1067	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	924 of 1067	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.7	817 of 1050	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.7	848 of 1037	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.9	904 of 1025	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.1	915 of 1071	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	9.3	970 of 1075	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.8	966 of 1076	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.0	921 of 1061	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.2	900 of 1053	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	9.4	976 of 1045	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	27.5	891 of 1046	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	21.2	923 of 1045	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	20.0	923 of 1030	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	40.6	766 of 1021	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	44.0	491 of 689	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	45.3	490 of 712	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	74.4	158 of 632	75.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	65.0	35 of 150	76.7%	★★★★☆
2024	28.7	102 of 137	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	64.0	28 of 138	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	53.4	42 of 133	68.4%	★★★★☆
2021	22.6	137 of 141	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	46.4	65 of 165	60.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	135 of 245	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.2	187 of 255	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.8	195 of 269	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	49.2	106 of 249	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.7	91 of 248	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.8	136 of 275	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.1	156 of 287	45.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	30.8	759 of 986	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.6	825 of 1001	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	914 of 1011	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	871 of 1010	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	874 of 1017	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	3.2	1003 of 1004	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	772 of 1002	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	831 of 997	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	262 of 347	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	248 of 322	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.5	282 of 331	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.8	202 of 290	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.9	218 of 296	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	70.7	51 of 274	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	35.4	170 of 266	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	207 of 271	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	22.6	725 of 848	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.6	809 of 870	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.4	822 of 866	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	761 of 871	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	781 of 859	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	68.3	193 of 847	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	22.8	764 of 874	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.8	808 of 854	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	15.2	853 of 989	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.0	884 of 1000	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.8	904 of 1012	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	847 of 1011	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.0	872 of 1017	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.8	567 of 1003	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.3	843 of 1002	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	901 of 997	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	13.6	131 of 142	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.7	100 of 113	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.3	43 of 76	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	632 of 791	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.0	665 of 802	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.5	704 of 790	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.9	619 of 770	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.7	491 of 748	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.2	660 of 742	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.6	551 of 721	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	352 of 697	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.7	463 of 718	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.4	627 of 727	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.4	461 of 715	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	503 of 704	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.7	340 of 718	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	23.2	591 of 686	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2026)77th percentile+59 vs school

White (2026)49th percentile+32 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)45th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2026)24th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)23rd percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)20th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)8th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies47%-19 vs state

English Language Arts37%-16 vs state

Science33%-21 vs state

Mathematics28%-25 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Saturday, August 30, 2014

Anyone who visits Sandburg knows it is a great place to learn and grow. The data sets used, which suggest declining proficiency, miss major considerations. First, Sandburg has a Dual Language Immersion program (Spanish / English) growing throughout the building, with more than 50% of the children learning in Spanish for most of each day (the tests reported here are only in English!). The data used here also has been "NAEP-ized" (retroactively re-calibrated to a more rigorous bar) and aligned to the newer, more rigorous Common Core State Standads. Visit the school! Learn about how they show the 2nd highest rate of growth in literacy in Madison (and growth targets are more rigorous for children who are not proficient). Learn how this is also true for African-American children (reducting the "achievement gap"). Learn how they have reduced behavioral referrals by 39%, they've won awards for Character Education, the principal received the Distinguished Service Award, the teachers' work with technology integration informed the District's "Tech Plan," and learn about the $2 million in grants they won (for afterschool programming and to journey to become one of the 'unexpected' schools who thrives despite being highly-mobile, and high-poverty. There is way more to the story than what you have here. Close Quote

Schools Near Sandburg Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)			Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)			Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)	Forward Exam Science (2026)	Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Sandburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4114 Donald Dr	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-7940	410	40	10.2	57.3%	76 (18.5%)	59 (14.4%)	199 (48.5%)	22 (5.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (12.9%)	20.7	858^th of 1039 public elementary schools	17.4%		15.7	902^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	13.6%	44	37.7	38.6	35.9	38.7	22.4	22.2	46.6	32.8	79%		$25,290	$789	$24,502
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3344 Concord Ave	Madison	53714	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-2500	360	35	10.2	66.7%	65 (18.1%)	90 (25.0%)	117 (32.5%)	38 (10.6%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (11.7%)	17.5	887^th of 1039 public elementary schools	14.6%		15.3	904^th of 1044 public elementary schools	13.4%	17	18.6	34.8	29.0	9.3	32.6	31.6	54.4	32.6	83%		$22,157	$1,261	$20,896
Lake View Elementary	Public	K-5	1802 Tennyson Ln	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4040	292	33	8.9	73.6%	26 (8.9%)	53 (18.2%)	81 (27.7%)	103 (35.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.6%)	19.5	867^th of 1039 public elementary schools	16.6%		23	853^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	18.3%	14	23.8	27.8	32.1	31.0	43.4	17.0	57.4	27.8	86%		$24,632	$1,759	$22,873
Gompers Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1502 Wyoming Way	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4520	217	24	9.0	49.3%	103 (47.5%)	43 (19.8%)	37 (17.1%)	7 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (12.4%)	42.9	687^th of 1039 public elementary schools	33.9%		43.4	675^th of 1044 public elementary schools	35.3%	12	56.0	53.3	50.0	40.0	26.7	34.4	73.3	50.0	93%		$21,970	$831	$21,139
Kennedy Elementary	Public	K-5	221 Meadowlark Dr	Madison	53714	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-3420	582	53	10.9	61.5%	174 (29.9%)	238 (40.9%)	62 (10.7%)	41 (7.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (11.3%)	19.4	869^th of 1039 public elementary schools	16.4%		13.3	920^th of 1044 public elementary schools	11.9%	51	21.9	42.9	21.4	33.3	31.9	20.0	47.8	42.9	71%		$23,491	$1,260	$22,230
Schenk Elementary	Public	K-5	230 Schenk St	Madison	53714	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-1500	394	42	9.4	58.1%	116 (29.4%)	79 (20.1%)	138 (35.0%)	20 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (10.4%)	19	873^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	16.0%		19.6	876^th of 1044 public elementary schools	16.1%	3	22.2	35.9	31.6	22.2	26.9	24.6	52.6	41.0	93%		$25,633	$1,089	$24,545
Emerson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2421 E Johnson St	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-2000	297	30	9.9	54.2%	128 (43.1%)	80 (26.9%)	44 (14.8%)	7 (2.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (11.4%)	39.9	724^th of 1039 public elementary schools	30.3%		41.2	712^th of 1044 public elementary schools	31.8%	12	50.0	49.2	41.2	41.7	40.3	38.2	55.6	55.6	83%		$23,216	$1,144	$22,073
Lowell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Maple Ave	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-6600	329	28	11.7	44.7%	168 (51.1%)	84 (25.5%)	38 (11.6%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (9.4%)	68.4	340^th of 1039 public elementary schools	67.3%		59.6	467^th of 1044 public elementary schools	55.3%	127	47.8	72.2	62.8	60.9	55.6	58.1	74.1	75.9	91%		$21,086	$695	$20,391
Mendota Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4002 School Rd	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-7840	282	29	9.5	72.7%	46 (16.3%)	139 (49.3%)	40 (14.2%)	10 (3.5%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (15.6%)	17.1	890^th of 1039 public elementary schools	14.3%		21.3	866^th of 1044 public elementary schools	17.0%	24	16.1	39.5	28.6	22.6	39.5	14.3	41.9	32.6	76%		$23,866	$1,489	$22,376
Creekside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1251 O'Keeffe Ave	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 834-7700	394	36	10.8	43.9%	167 (42.4%)	105 (26.6%)	48 (12.2%)	26 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (12.2%)	37.4	744^th of 1039 public elementary schools	28.4%		34.7	773^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	26.0%	29	60.5	50.0	39.6	39.5	38.0	32.1	60.0	46.9	95%		$16,823	$1,028	$15,795

Frequently Asked Questions about Sandburg Elementary

What schools do graduates of Sandburg Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sandburg Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sherman Middle
High : East High

What is the racial makeup of Sandburg Elementary?

Students at Sandburg Elementary are 49% Hispanic, 19% White, 14% African American, 13% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

How many students attend Sandburg Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 410 students attended Sandburg Elementary.

What district is Sandburg Elementary in?

Madison Metropolitan School District

Is Sandburg Elementary a good school?

Sandburg Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.4% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

Rate Sandburg Elementary!

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.